Although most modern passenger automobiles and trucks are equipped with some type of permanent, fixed side molding, experience shows that the permanent molding can be non-effective for its intended purpose; that of adequately protecting a vehicle from damage to its paint and body by the careless and abrupt opening of a door of a vehicle parked next to it or damage which might be caused by activity adjacent to the vehicle. This is particularly the case while a vehicle is parked in a crowded parking lot, with small parking places. Smaller parking places are the result, especially in urban areas, of a premium on land dedicated to the parking of vehicles and are a phenomenon of the modern design of parking lots.
Thus what is needed is a device that will offer the owner's of automobiles, trucks, and other passenger vehicles the option of temporarily placing a device on the side of a vehicle in order to protect its body and paint while parked. The device should be capable of being removed without damage to the vehicle and compactable so it can be placed in the back seat or trunk for storage when not in use.